Can you tell us a little about yourself and your business? 

Before moving into financial services, I trained as a journalist so communication and making complicated subjects easier to understand have always been important to me. 

HSC Financial Advisers is an independent financial planning firm. We work with individuals, families and business owners, helping them make better decisions about their money and plan for the future. 

For me, good financial planning isn’t simply about investments or pensions. It’s about understanding what someone wants their life to look like and then helping them use their finances to support that. Our approach at HSC is very much about helping clients protect what they have, grow their wealth and ultimately thrive. 

What do you enjoy most about running your business? 

The people, without question. 

I enjoy building long-term relationships with clients and seeing the difference that good planning can make over many years. Sometimes that’s helping someone retire earlier than they thought possible; sometimes it’s helping a business owner plan their next chapter; and sometimes it’s simply giving somebody the confidence that they’re going to be OK. 

I also really enjoy developing the business itself. HSC has evolved considerably over the years, and I like looking at how we can improve what we do, embrace technology and make the experience better for both our clients and our team. 

What challenges have you faced along the way? 

Like most SME owners, one of the biggest challenges is that you wear a lot of hats. 

You’re responsible for your clients and your team, but at the same time you’re thinking about regulation, technology, marketing, recruitment, cash flow and where the business needs to be in three or five years’ time. 

Financial services is also a highly regulated profession, and rightly so, but that brings additional responsibilities when you’re running a smaller independent firm. 

Probably the biggest lesson has been accepting that you can’t and shouldn’t do everything yourself. Building the right team, putting good processes in place and trusting people around you is incredibly important.

What is your advice for other SMEs?

Don’t become so busy running the business that you forget to think about where it is actually going. 

It’s very easy to spend every day dealing with emails, clients, staff and the next problem that lands on your desk. Try to create some space to step away from the day-to-day and think about what you want the business to look like in three, five or ten years. 

And look after your own finances as carefully as you look after the company’s. For many business owners, their business, personal finances, pensions and eventual exit are all interconnected. Having a plan early gives you far more options later.

What’s coming up in 2026 for HSC Financial Advisers?

We’ve got plenty happening. 

A big focus is continuing to improve the way we work with clients. Using technology where it genuinely makes things easier while retaining the personal relationships that are at the heart of HSC. 

We’re also continuing our work around financial education. It’s something I’m particularly passionate about because there is still a huge gap between the financial decisions people are expected to make and the financial education they receive. 

Alongside that, we’ll be continuing to develop our work with local businesses and professionals, as well as looking at some new ideas around financial wellbeing and helping people feel more confident about money. 

There are a few projects taking shape behind the scenes too, which hopefully we’ll be able to say more about before the end of the year.

What do you like about being a member of the Chamber? 

Running a business can sometimes be surprisingly isolating, so being part of a wider business community is really valuable. 

What I like about the Chamber is the opportunity to meet people running businesses of completely different sizes and in completely different sectors. You quickly realise that many of the challenges we face are actually very similar. 

It’s also about supporting the local business community. Some of the best relationships and opportunities come from simply getting to know people, sharing ideas and seeing where you can help each other rather than going into every conversation looking for a sale.